Miguelito

In 1973 by pure chance, the eleven year old Miguelito was discovered singing in the San Juan airport by the legendary New York record producer Harvey Averne. Within the year he went from the slums of Manuel A Perez, to recording an album with some of the finest salsa musicians of the time to finally performing with Eddie Palmieri at Madison Square Garden in front of 20,000 people. And then he simply disappeared. 

Throughout Latin America his songs ‘Payaso’ and ‘Canto a Borinquen’ had become cult hits. His rise to fame was ephemeral, but no less unforgettable and to his fans his disappearance remains a myth.

Miguelito takes on the form of an upbeat road movie travelling through Latin America, uncovering the memories of those who were effected by his music and short-lived career. Featuring performances from Papo Lucca’s La Sonora Poncena, Nelson Feliciano, Maximo Torres, Malo Malo and many others, this is a film that celebrates the musical and cultural depth of the Caribbean as well as revealing a story of a once forgotten ‘Salsero’ whose album became a cult classic in a country far from his own.

Director Sam Zubrycki is a filmmaker, musician and DJ who has been working in the arts industry for over fifteen years. He has been involved in a range of local and international productions that have led to an array of collaborations with artists from around the world.

Sam’s first short documentary ‘L'Artigiano ‘was selected for competition at the Antenna Documentary Film Festival, Sydney, Australia. He as well edited the short drama ‘Driftwood Dustmites’ that was selected for competition at the 65th Berlinale Film Festival.

Sam was a student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music at the University of Sydney where he studied trumpet and graduated with a double major in Music and Anthropology. He also has a Masters in Communications from UTS Sydney as well as diploma in picture Editing from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS).

Sam as well hosts a weekly world music program on Sydney’s leading community radio station ‘FBi Radio 94.5’ and frequently performs at local and international venues.